


Target, kill!

by EdithCushing



Category: Black Widow (Comics), Captain America (Movies), Steve Rogers - Fandom, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), Winter Soldier (Comics)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-11-14
Updated: 2015-11-14
Packaged: 2018-05-01 12:22:34
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,060
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5205731
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EdithCushing/pseuds/EdithCushing
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>I was just a baby when they took me away from my mother. A small, helpless baby. Trained into a weapon. A ruthless war machine that can and will kill anything and anyone in its path. I have never experience love. I don’t even have a name. <br/>------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------<br/>Raised and trained in HYDRA’s headquarters, Soldier 53 was trained to be an assassin. It was easy for she had no emotions, no thoughts, nothing but one thought – target, kill. This was the life of Soldier 53. Until one night she saw Steve Rogers – Captain America. That’s when the feelings kicked in.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Chapter one –Soldier 53.   
She sat. Her back against the wall. Hands tied together, although she had no plan to escape. Where would she go? She couldn’t remember her mother, her house…even her name. Did she even have one before she came here? 

Ever since she could recall she always knew she had a name, at least that’s what she kept telling herself – so HYDRA couldn’t dehumanise her. Yet, by the age of eight she already knew how to kill someone using a gun. By nine she knew how to parkour. By ten she could strangle someone twice as big as her and find no repentance in doing so. 

This. This is what she became. A soldier…a monster.   
Some nights she would try to remember what her mother looked like. Small things like hair colour, eye colour, delicate hands or coarse hands, small height or tall height. Nothing. Nothing came to mind but methods of killing.   
She couldn’t remember how old she was. It seemed like centuries since she’d be taken. Although she didn’t look old, in fact she was quite young. When they permitted her to shower before bed, even though she under no circumstances slept, she was always allowed a glance of herself in the mirror. Occasionally more than two minutes, until they would strip her bare and clean her. For those two or more minutes, she always thought herself foul. For of all the horrible stuff she has done. 

Observing down at her hands, she twiddled with them for a little bit. Unconvinced and curious as to why it was taking them so long to fetch her. It was morning, she knew that. Every morning she heard David, the security guard who secures her facility, he always ensured an inspection of her room and stared at her. David had inspected her room using the small hatch window on the door, however he never called for her for training or a new mission. 

That’s when the siren rang. Then it stopped. Started. Stopped. Started. Stopped. Over and over until it frustrated her, this was an exercise. A pathetic one. Trying to test her limits. Seeing if she could handle this. She could of course, it was an infuriating sound…that’s when a small block of wall vanished and with it spurt out water. Jumping to her feet she desperately tried to cover it up. It didn’t work. Only left her drenched in water. 

Scoffing to herself, she knew she had to think quickly or else this exercise would be a fail. And that would mean torture the whole day for punishment. She browsed down at her wrists and knew she couldn’t do anything with her hands tied, using her super strength she was injected with as a teenager she snapped the bonds and sprinted towards the door. Aluminium metal. Child’s play. 

What they didn’t know was that she could straightforwardly get out. She was a super soldier assassin, trained since a child and tortured. Of course she could escape. With the exception of she chose not to. She would have nowhere else to go and what if SHIELD caught her? That would mean more torture. And then HYDRA would find her in time, meaning even more torture. Essentially there would be no point. 

Contemplating at the door, almost excitedly she cast an eye over for a weakness in this door. Ah. Icy water rose up to her knees, she was running out of time. Rotating around, preparing herself for this. She felt pain, oh god yes, but she never truly felt it. Charging to the door, she hurdled a little; forcing her shoulder for the impact – shutting her eyes in the process. The door bent a little. She tried again, charging to the door once more. 

Bam! The door soared off, colliding down onto the floor. She stood above it, nodding to herself that she had actually done it. Instantaneously she studied around her, checking for movement. The corridors were always basic. White walls and white floors. Running along one of the corridors she noticed a desk encircled with computer screens all viewing her cell and another’s. Marching closer to the screen she observed his metal arm, detailed with a red star. Viewing the screen and the soldier trapped inside the cell, she realised there was a name on top – THE WINTER SOLDIER. 

She wasn’t the only soldier. This she never knew. For a few seconds she thought about saving him, but this was an exercise – she wasn’t really going to escape. Soon she’d be at the end of it, they’d stun her, take her back to another cell and that would be it for today. 

Shaking her head frantically, making herself sure she wouldn’t go back for him. Instead she turned towards another corridor – it was maddening how they all looked the same, it was a big maze. She just hoped she wouldn’t get lost, that would cost her failure.   
Hurrying down corridors, she finally found a wide door – bars to push along it. She was about to run, until she heard a voice behind her. 

“Step down, soldier 53!” Alexander Pierce yelled, shoulders slightly slanted. His voice sounded severe but his physique seemed composed. She swung around on her ankles, eyeing Pierce and the twenty or more soldiers aiming guns at her behind him. “If you come with us, you will not be harmed,” he continued. She exhaled to herself, that’s sounds fake…but okay. “If you don’t, and go through the doors, we will never stop searching for you, as will SHIELD.” 

He was right. Alexander Pierce was always right. Gradually, she kneeled down and brought her hands behind her head. Waiting patiently for them to take her away.   
Alexander Pierce beamed, actually beamed. Teeth showing. He began to pace towards her, hands shoved in his pockets. “You are to be my new experiment, we’ve already used our super soldier serum on you, it flows through your very veins now, which – may I say, was hard to come by, but it was worth it. You also don’t feel emotions which is valuable. Now, we require you to become so much more.”

She finally spoke, she didn’t speak much, only when she was too curious to keep her mouth shut. “What do you want me to become?” Not speaking for a long time made her voice sound hoarse. 

“You are to become the Phoenix,” Pierce replied, instantly after her question, “and you are to bring down the headquarters no one has brought down before.” 

“What headquarters?” She asked, clearly her throat a little at the end. 

He turned his head and nodded to one of the soldiers, he began to walk towards her. “SHIELD.” The next thing she knew was the back end of the gun hid her cheek and the darkness that consumed her afterwards.


	2. Chapter two - Mission Phoenix

She was now to be called Phoenix, scarcely a name but it was better than a number. She had her own door room now, it was exactly like her old cell, but with a bed – it was soft and warm, resources that she has never had before. There was also a code key in the wall which released a new room with her new suit and weapons. 

Her mission was to go over cover as a SHIELD agent with Alexander Pierce who also was undercover. Being Pierce’s assistant, she was to get close to either Natasha Romanoff or Steve Rogers, both would be even better. Pierce encouraged her to get close to Steve Rogers since he was much gentler and naïve than Natasha Romanoff, she just nodded and decided to follow Pierce’s orders. 

Her undercover name was to be Catherine Brooks, from the UK – London, (she noted that she would have to learn how to do a British accent, she thought her accent now was American but if she was to play someone British she might as well stay as one until a new cover), her parents are divorced, her mother, Margaret, is a Photographer in Kent while her father, James, lives in London – his job is unknown but Alexander Pierce was to tell everyone that he works for MI-6 and Pierce and James know each other which is how Catherine Brooks got the job as Pierce’s assistant. 

It was an unpretentious identity, one she could easily slip into since she didn’t know who she was herself. 

As she sat unaccompanied in her room, her own laptop, protected so she couldn’t contact anyone outside of HYDRA’s facilities, she was watching videos of British accents, listening to actors and just people from the London area. It was mesmerising really, she has never heard a British accent before, or really seen anybody outside before. Researching London was what she enjoyed the most, Queen Elizabeth II and her love for her corgis, Big Ben, theatre and lastly tea. The British adored their tea. 

Abruptly there was a knock at the door, David walked in and viewed down at her. “You are to leave in fifteen minutes, pack your bags with your weapons and suit, you are to leave using a private jet you will be sharing with Alexander Pierce himself.” He walked out, closing the door behind him. 

She got out of bed and walked over to code key panel, entering in the code she waited for the doors to open. After they did, she strolled inside and packed her suit inside. It was a tight black corset, with leather tight jeans to match. She had doc martins to wear as well. She also packed her bullet proof strapless vest which she would wear underneath the corset. It was simple but stylish. Not that she cared, she didn’t know how to. 

She was all packed, with one large suitcase and her laptop bag on her shoulder, she waited for David to return for her. Instantaneously, David returned and asked her to follow him. Nodding, she marched behind him, they finally escaped the maze of white corridors and was brought outside. The first time in…god she didn’t even know. 

She stood there, feeling the breeze hit her and flutter her ebony hair across her face. It was idyllic. Years and years and years of torture and endless exercises…she was finally outside. Not free, but outside. Breathing in real air. That moment was shortly deprived. 

“It’s been ninety-nine years, Catherine Brooks,” Alexander Pierce said beside her, he look up at the sky, it was getting dark. 

Catherine Brooks that is what she was going to have to call herself now. That’s her name. Her undercover one anyways. 

Catherine looked at Pierce, curious, “what did you say?” 

“HYDRA kidnapped you in 1915. Just only two days after your mother gave birth to you,” Pierce told her. 

“I’m ninety-nine years old?” Catherine said, quietly almost like she didn’t want anyone else to hear it. Although obviously they knew about it. 

“Don’t worry,” he smirked at her, “you’re looking good for your age.” He laughed but Catherine was confused. “You’ll need to work on that, when someone says something funny you’ve got to laugh.” 

Catherine nodded, noting that in her head, “I’ll work on it.”

“And for now, you call me Sir, since I’m your boss,” he said, he leaned in, “right Catherine?” 

“Right, sir,” Catherine replied. This was all new to her, she was outside for the first time in ninety-nine years, first time she had a name…well, Catherine would do. 

“Follow me,” Pierce told her, beckoning her to follow as he strode towards the jet. “Let this man get your suitcase, bring your laptop with you, we have much to discuss and you probably need to write this down.” 

Catherine gave her suitcase in to someone and walked up the steps into the jet, looking around her – she’d never seen a jet before. She noted there was only two exits, a bar to which Pierce was pouring a drink for himself, she looked to her left and saw two seats right at the front. 

When she was young and in training, they would always have a couple of days of school work – so she could know some about the world she was going to be trained into. They taught her English, as her first language, then French, German and Spanish. She was taught lessons such as English, Maths, Science, and History. She was only taught all this if she was to go undercover. 

She chose to sit down, her seat next to a window. Placing her laptop onto her lap, she switched it on and saw that her video she had been watching in her room was still on pause. 

“Right then,” Pierce sat down opposite her, “you already know the basics, tell me them if you can remember.” He waited. 

“My cover name is Catherine Brooks, my mother, Margaret Brooks is a photographer down in Kent while my father, James Brooks is a MI-6 agent that is how you two know each other. My parents are divorced, but agreed that I was to work for you in SHIELD headquarters since I needed the experience and the money.” Catherine remembered. 

Pierce inhaled a little, “very good,” he mumbled, “very, very good.” He looked out of the window beside him and saw that the jet was ready to take off. “Now, I want you to laugh,” he asked her. 

Catherine stared at him. 

“Alright, um, Layla come here for a minute,” Pierce asked a woman who was sitting near the bar to come forth and sit with them. 

She was tall, thin, bright blonde hair, she had blue eyes. She wore a white shirt with a cardigan over it, and a long skirt to match with, black heels. 

“Yes, sir?” She asked, she was American. 

“Could you help teach Catherine here, what it is to be human,” Pierce rose up from his chair and walked over to the bar, pouring another drink for himself. “She already has the British accent spot on, teach her how to…manipulate Steve Rogers. Any ways necessary.” Pierce turned around and talked to another person beside him. They were whispering to one another. 

“Look,” Catherine quickly turned to look over at Layla, who had taken Pierce’s seat. “You are pretty, in fact gorgeous. This is a great advantage. The only way to manipulate men, is to seduce them.” 

Catherine listened to what Layla was talking about, but had no idea what she was going on about. She knew what ‘seduce’ meant of course and she had done it before in training after she turned eighteen. Layla told her that Steve Rogers was born in 1920 (she was older than him, she noted), a boy from Brooklyn who suffered from many illnesses that stopped him from joining the war, but a man called Dr. Erkstein who made a serum that enabled him to become Captain America. Layla also told Catherine that the same serum flows in her veins, that HYDRA after a while was able to create their own, but different. 

Layla after telling her how to manipulate Steve Rogers, told Catherine who Catherine truly is. 

Catherine Brooks loves to read books, nights out at the theatre, to draw and paint, her mum always taught her how to cook since she was young, her friends live in London still and believe she is working at Wall-Mart but studying to become an art teacher. And she was twenty-four years old. 

Catherine wrote this all down, after all, this is who she was to become…for now.


	3. Chapter three - On your right!

Catherine Brooks watched as she saw the jet land. Washington. “Everyone get out now.” Pierce instructed Layla and Catherine. They both got up from their chairs at the same time, Catherine packed her laptop into her bag and waited for the jet’s door to open. When it did, it was light outside. Morning. 

Suddenly a gun was shoved into her hands by Pierce. “Kill everybody but Agent Layla and I,” he ordered her. She looked down - the gun was guarded with a silencer - nodding. Placing her bags down Catherine ran down the steps. She saw three men waiting for them, smiling up at her as she ran down the stairs. Holding up her gun, she watched as their faces changed. They were scared. Pulling the trigger, the first bullet hit one of the men in the neck – causing him to fall to the ground with great impact. She targeted the next bullet on the next man, who by then realised what was happening and started to turn away. She immediately turned the gun towards his head and shot him. He fell. The third man stayed where he was. He was on his knees. Shaking, crying. 

“W-why, why a-are you d-doing th-is?” He stuttered, his cheeks were stained with his tears, hands shaking violently. 

Catherine didn’t say anything. She only pulled the trigger at his head. He fell. She looked around her, blood everywhere. She suddenly felt a hand on her shoulder, she flinched but stayed put. 

“You did well,” Pierce whispered in her ear, he was taller than her - although she was a super assassin because of the serum, the one HYDRA made didn’t make her taller in anyway. She was 5ft’4. “They had to die because no one can know we travelled by jet, we will now take a jeep to SHIELD headquarters, it’s only a few miles.” Pierce walked away and instructed one of the soldiers who handed Catherine her bags, to clear the bodies and blood away. 

They got into the jeep without another word, Catherine had killed previously, ever since she was eight years old. That was when she first held a gun. Or was it nine? She couldn’t even remember. They trained her with a gun, using real targets. HYDRA’s enemies tied up on a wall, where they instructed her to shoot them. Sometimes telling her to shoot at their hands, or legs, or chest…or head. 

Pierce sat at the back of the jeep, he was on his phone calling someone. “Hey, Nick,” he said, “yeah, I’m coming into headquarters now,” he hung up the phone. Pierce looked straight at Catherine. “Now, it’s been two years since the attack of New York, we’re now heading to the Triskelion, SHIELD headquarters in Washington DC, Steve is on his daily jog, we are going to drop you off so you can meet him. Only tell him your name, and if he asks where you work don’t tell him. We’ll pick you up after the jog, to which you’ll get changed into your SHIELD uniform and work as my assistant. Steve will notice you and want to know more, etc. Got it?” 

Catherine nodded, she took off her leather jacket and adjusted her black vest top. “Sir, what about this?” she showed Pierce he shoulder. The HYDRA symbol was tattooed onto her skin. She has had this tattoo as long as she can remember, its HYDRA’s way of showing who you belong to. The same as the Winter Soldier who has his red star on his metal arm. 

“Layla,” he said, Layla opened her bag and got out a tub of what seemed like clear liquid. Layla opened the tub and smeared the liquid onto her tattoo, after a while of letting the liquid cool, Catherine checked her tattoo in a mirror Layla brought out. It was gone. Nodding to herself, the car stopped and she got out. 

“Here,” Pierce handed her something small, “it’s an earpiece, put it into your ear and we’ll contact you when it’s time for you to return to headquarters.” She nodded as they drove away. 

Her converse was easy to run in, so she started a light jog as she put in her earpiece. As she jogged, she breathed in the scenery around her. 

“Don’t say it, don’t you say it!” 

“On your left!” 

“Come on!” She heard someone call out. Looking ahead of her, she saw two men running together, one faster than the other. The slower one was smaller to the faster guy, he had short black hair and a grey jumper on with knee length shorts. He was sweating like a pig and definitely out of breath. 

The faster one however wasn’t out of breath, or sweaty. Despite the fact he was clearly using more agility than the other one. His hair was dark blonde, he wore a tight grey shirt, which really showed his muscles out, and dark blue joggers. Steve Rogers. She’d seen photographs of him, Pierce made sure she knew what he looked like. 

Catherine immediately gained more speed, making her way towards these two. She passed the slower one, not saying a word. He too looked shock as the where she had come from. Catherine gained more speed. Steve was fast. She ran towards his right side. 

“On your right!” 

“Woah,” he replied, watching her as she over took him. They ran for a while, Catherine realised that Steve had decided to let her win. Otherwise he would’ve tried to overtake her. She stopped running and looked behind her, they both were resting against a tree. The slower one sitting down, whereas Steve was standing, his hands on his hips. Walking over to them, she remembered that she needed to be human now. Emotions. 

She smiled. It felt strange. “Gentlemen,” she laughed a little, stopping near them. She was closer to Steve than the other one. “Catherine Brooks,” she held out her hand, biting her lip, she remembered this was how people started conversations. Steve shook her hand, smiling down at her. 

“Steve Rogers, ma’am,” he said. Ma’am? What a gentleman. Catherine attempted her best flirty smile, but decided to turn towards the other male resting against a tree. 

He waved at her, “Sam Wilson.” 

Steve looked over at Sam too, “need a medic?” 

“I believe he needs a new set of lungs,” Catherine said, cheekily, winking at Steve. They all laughed together. 

Sam chuckled to himself, “Dude, you just ran, like, 13 miles in 30 minutes,” he was talking to Steve. 

Steve laughed a little, looking down at his feet, almost like he was bashful, he then replied, “I guess I got a late start.” 

Catherine decided to go into the conversation again, after all she needed to get on Steve Roger’s good side. “You should be ashamed of yourself,” she grinned. Steve turned to look at her again and beamed at her. He even looked her up and down. She would’ve started conversation again if she didn’t hear Pierce’s voice in her ear, “Phoenix get back to base”. “Well, I’d better be off, work starts soon.” She backed away from them two. “Duty calls.” Literally. 

“And what duty is that?” Steve asked her. 

“Well, I gave you clear signals that I wanted your number, should’ve asked then you would’ve eventually find out. But now, you’ll just have to bump into me again,” Catherine smirked, hands on her hips like Steve. She spun around, turning round a corner away from Steve and Sam. She saw another jeep on the curve, jumping in, Layla left a note. 

Get changed.

Opening a plastic bag she got out her new clothes, it was a business suit. Taking off her vest, she saw the driver quickly look in the mirror watching her intently, “eyes on the road,” he sneered and looked away. Eventually getting fully dressed, she put on her black heels and waited for the car to reach its destination. 

The car stopped, she got out and shut the car door. Swaying her hips as she walked towards SHIELD headquarters, only did she stop when she heard someone call for her behind her. Turning around she realised it was the driver. 

“Hey, babe,” he looked her up and down and bit his lip, Catherine stared at him – slowly getting bored. “When do you get off?” 

Catherine scanned him quickly, his jacket was loose – she could make out his gun. She walked over to him, his window was open. She leaned in, her lips pressed against his ear. Her hand was placed on his knee, slowly traveling up towards his chest, she could hear his breathing getting faster. She ripped out his gun from his jacket and pressed it on his crotch. “When do you think?” The man immediately put his hands up. She dropped the gun and walked away.


End file.
